Bryan ISD presents changes to employee health and dental plans as benefits fund runs a multi‑million shortfall

District staff presented a detailed overview of Bryan ISD’s self‑funded medical and dental plans, and described proposed plan redesigns to address rising medical costs and a multi‑year transfer from the general fund.

The presentation said the district has transferred roughly $9.5 million from the general fund since 2018 to keep the health fund solvent and that, as of the presentation, the plan was about $3.8 million in the hole. "It is no longer realistic to think that we can sustain the plan without addressing premiums," the benefits presenter told trustees.

Proposed changes and anticipated savings: staff recommended keeping the core PPO options, eliminating an underutilized HMO option and redesigning the PPO gold into a three‑tier provider model using a program called Careway. Staff estimated eliminating the HMO would save the district more than $1.2 million; consolidating three dental plans into two would save more than $200,000 while aiming to avoid disruption to in‑network care.

Tradeoffs and discussion: Trustees and staff discussed the merits of remaining self‑funded versus switching to a fully insured plan. Staff said converting to a fully insured plan would be a major transition and estimated it could cost on the order of tens of millions of dollars to implement. Trustees pushed for robust employee education, campus‑level outreach and clarity about what the plan changes would mean for out‑of‑network reimbursement and employee out‑of‑pocket exposure.

Timing: Staff said no action would be taken that evening and that proposed plan changes would be returned for board approval at the next meeting. Open enrollment for employees was listed to begin Nov. 3 and close Nov. 21.

What to watch: staff follow‑up materials on specific premium and out‑of‑pocket figures, the formal recommendation at the next board meeting, and employee outreach sessions scheduled districtwide.